That which does not kill you makes you stronger
by Rouroken
Summary: Kaoru knows in her heart she loves Kenshin but is too scared to say. But Kenshin asked her this one question, and that might be just the thing she needs! In Kaoru's POV, it's a one-shot. I just hope you all enjoy it and please RR!


A/N: Hi everyone! Yeah I wrote another story, but I think I got carried away O_O. LoL whatever but moving on, this takes place in the distant future; just something I came up with that was for my writing assignment in English class. You're probably thinking "Whoa! You write this kind of thing even in school???" Haha well.no not really, I changed the names when I turned it in. Okay enough of that let's get to the story shall we?  
  
Just so you know Rurouni Kenshin does not belong to me as do any of the others, though I wish they did. Don't sue me, I'm poor! This is for entertainment only and is in no way meant to be offensive, and for convenience of those who don't understand Japanese, I made it all in English so just enjoy it okay ^_^. Besides, you all should know that already. Aren't you tired of hearing it?  
  
Dedicated to my aunt for helping to inspire me to write. I guess she's like my mentor in a way ^_^. Thanks a bunch, couldn't have done it without ya!  
  
*~~* Denotes shifts in time/character perspective  
  
** ** Denotes characters' thoughts  
  
" " Well, I'm sure most of you, maybe all of you *sweat drop* would know what these mean but just for the heck of it, denotes characters' speech  
  
That Which Does Not Kill You  
Makes You Stronger  
  
_________________________________________________________________________  
  
"That which does not kill you makes you stronger." Those words remained  
in my head throughout the entire day which seemed to go by like eternity.  
**What did he mean by that?** I thought. **Was something going to  
happen?** I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't hear my friends  
calling out my name after school let out. I was in 9th grade.  
  
"Kaoru, didn't you hear us calling you?" they all asked once they caught  
up to me. "Sorry guys, I was just thinking," I replied. "Ooooooh, I bet  
she was thinking about her crush," one of them whispered and they all  
laughed. "Stop it Sano!" I yelled. "Oh come on, we all already know about  
it," Megumi said. "But-but, t-that wasn't what I was thinking about," I  
stammered. "Uh huh, sure it wasn't," Yahiko scoffed. "Watch it," I warned  
forming a fist in his face. "Okay okay, take it easy," he said backing  
off. Actually, I knew he wasn't really scared.  
  
"Why don't you just tell him already?" Sanosuke told me. "It's already  
been two years and you still haven't told him."  
  
"It's not that easy," I sighed. I don't even think he likes me." Megumi  
patted me on the shoulder. "I'm sure he does, I mean you two have been  
close friends since 7th grade."  
  
"Well, yeah but there are probably a lot of other girls who like him  
other than me." I reasoned. Sanosuke brushed a stray strand of hair from  
his face and smiled. "No surprise there, I mean, back at my old school I  
had tons of girls crawling all over me." Yahiko rolled his eyes. "You  
mistake them for fleas." Flames rose up around Sanosuke. "WHAT WAS THAT  
YOU JUST SAID?!" he demanded. Yahiko hid behind me. "N-Nothing," he  
stammered. I sighed. Sanosuke yelled again. "Yeah right, I know what I  
heard, come and say that again to my face!!!" he growled. Yahiko sweat  
dropped.  
  
"Kaoru, save me!" he pleaded grasping my shoulders and hiding behind my  
back. "Save yourself will you, you're the one who made him angry," I said  
wrenching myself free. "Cut it out all of you, you're giving me a  
headache," Megumi whined interrupting our quarrel. "Why don't we just get  
going now, we're supposed to do our homework at my house this afternoon."  
Sano and Yahiko stopped arguing. "Sure," they said in unison. I simply  
nodded. But before we could leave, someone showed up. Megumi giggled  
softly.  
  
"Well, look who's here," she said glancing at me and pointing to someone  
walking towards us. I blushed a light pink color and tried not to look at  
him. He had flaming red hair that was tied back neatly in a ponytail and  
dark, violet eyes. But I always wondered where he got that unusual scar  
on his left cheek. It looked just like a cross. Perhaps I'll never know.  
  
"Um, it's nice to see you Kenshin," I murmured trying not to show I was  
embarrassed. "Hey Kaoru, it's nice to see you too," he answered waving at  
me. I waved back and turned away before he could see me blushing again.  
Sano and Yahiko covered their mouths with both hands to keep from  
laughing out loud. I ignored them. However, Megumi noticed my disposition  
and grinned. She yanked me over by my arm to her side.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing?!" I asked trying to pull away. She didn't  
answer. She just turned me around so that I was facing Kenshin. "Kaoru  
has something she wants to say to you," she proudly informed, shoving me  
towards him. Maybe just a little too hard. "Megumi!!!" I screamed as I  
started to falter. But Kenshin was close by and he caught me before I hit  
the concrete.  
  
"What did you do that for?!" I demanded unaware that Kenshin's arms  
covered my own just below my shoulders. Megumi didn't answer me. She just  
giggled and turned her back to us cupping her hands over her mouth.  
Sanosuke and Yahiko burst out laughing and started saying "Ooooooh" at  
us. I, well, we just stared at them confused at first until I finally  
noticed Kenshin was holding me, sort of.  
  
"Oh!" I exclaimed blushing crimson and stared at the floor. Kenshin  
looked at me for a few moments before noticing what he was doing. "Oh,  
um, sorry about that," he murmured letting his hands fall to his sides.  
"Are you alright?" I blushed again, remembering that Kenshin had saved me  
from a nasty fall. "Y-Yeah, I'm perfectly fine, um, thanks for helping me  
back there," I struggled to say. Kenshin blushed too and put a hand in  
his hair. "Sure, it was no big deal." After everyone calmed down, Megumi  
spoke up.  
  
"Hey, if you're free, why don't you come to my house and work on your  
assignments with all of us?" Kenshin smiled. "Sure, that would be great,"  
he replied. "Then let's go!" Sano exclaimed happily. I felt rather  
awkward walking next to Kenshin.  
  
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*  
  
"We're here!" Megumi proudly announced when we reached the shiny wooden  
stairs of her front porch. Kenshin studied the gigantic place. "Man, I  
forgot just how big this place is," he said staring at it. I did my best  
to just act normal and go along with things, maybe then he won't notice  
my disposition.  
  
"Yeah, I got lost here the first time I came to her house," I told him.  
He laughed. "Hey, so did I." Sano and Yahiko dropped their backpacks on  
the porch floor. "It's pretty nice out here, why don't we work here?"  
Yahiko suggested. It was nice out. The sun was shining and it wasn't too  
hot since the porch roof provided shade. Megumi's porch was roomy and had  
a large rectangular table with eight chairs in a corner and several  
hanging plants decorating the entire ceiling.  
  
"Not a bad idea," she replied. "Let's go to the table." I chose a spot at  
the very end of the table and took out my textbooks, some paper, and a  
pencil from my backpack. Kenshin walked up behind me. "Can I sit next to  
you?" he asked, which made me embarrassed as well as nervous. "Sure, you  
don't need to ask me, feel free to sit where you want." He smiled and sat  
next to me, surprising me a little when he scooted his chair a little  
closer so that we were almost touching. **Why did he do that?** He then  
took out his homework. Megumi, Yahiko, and Sano giggled and scooted over  
to the farthest end of the table, away from us. Kenshin and I gave them a  
look of confusion.  
  
"What?" We asked puzzled. They just kept laughing. "Is there something  
wrong?" Kenshin asked. They shook their heads. "Then what is it?" he  
asked again. Sano winked at us. "We're just giving you two lovebirds some  
privacy." Kenshin and I both blushed now.  
  
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" I asked feeling quite embarrassed.  
They were doing this to me again, just like at school. "You know what it  
means," Megumi giggled. "This gives you two a chance to settle any  
unfinished business." I started to protest. "H-Hey you guys don't do this  
to me!" I pleaded. Kenshin seemed confused. They ignored me and continued  
to do their homework. 'Some friends you are.' I thought. Kenshin looked  
at me.  
  
"What are they talking about?" he asked me. I just sat there blushing  
more than ever and sweat pouring down my face. I didn't know whether I  
should spit out the truth or keep my mouth shut. "Kaoru?" he asked in a  
concerned voice. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Um.well, the truth is that I.." I couldn't go on. I was afraid that that  
I would ruin our friendship and I didn't want that to happen. That would  
utterly kill me. Well, not literally. I felt Kenshin's hand on my  
shoulder. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me now if you don't want  
to," he told me. All I could do was smile. Kenshin opened his English  
textbook. "We'd better get started on our homework before we fall  
behind," he told me.  
  
"Uh, right," I replied. I heard some groaning coming from the far end of  
the table, or, to put it simply, from my friends. They seemed bored as  
well as disappointed. They continued to give me that death glare. I  
blushed and put my head down in the book I was reading in order to study  
for the big exam tomorrow. Kenshin caught on to the situation and stood  
up to face them.  
  
"Stop it," he told them. "You're bothering her." I stiffened when I heard  
him trying to defend me. "Don't worry about them Kenshin, they do that  
all the time. I know how to deal with it," I told him. "Oh, okay," he  
said sitting back down. "I just thought you needed some help." I smiled.  
"No, it's okay, but thanks anyway." I looked over at the others who were  
busily doing their homework. It was easy to tell they were annoyed that I  
didn't confess about my feelings for him. But I just couldn't bring  
myself to tell him. At least, not yet. I turned my gaze to Kenshin who  
was wearing that same smile he always did ever since the first time we  
met. He was doing his assignments intensively. Kenshin and I were some of  
the top students in our class, although we were in separate classrooms.  
**Kenshin.** I thought. **He always stood up for me.**  
  
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*  
  
By 6:30pm everyone had managed to finish their homework and we were now  
just sitting at the table wondering what to do now. Finally, Sano stood  
up and stretched.  
  
"I don't have to go home until 7:30, so can I hang out here till then?"  
he asked Megumi. "Me too!" Yahiko added. Megumi looked at both of them  
and nodded. "That's fine with me," she replied getting up. "But what are  
we going to do, I'm bored."  
  
"Let's watch a movie!" They said at the same time. Then Yahiko spun  
around and gave Sano sly look. "Hey, I said it first, so I get to choose  
what we watch," he said teasingly. Sano shot him a death glare. "You did  
not!" he retorted. "Did too!" came an annoyed reply.  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Did too!"  
  
"Did not!!!"  
  
"Did too!!!" I watched them and sighed, then turned and looked at  
Kenshin, who was also watching them. "Those two will argue about  
anything," I told Kenshin who sweat dropped when he saw Sano and Yahiko  
now in a physical fight. "I can see that," he replied putting a hand in  
the back of his head. Megumi was doing all she could to try to stop those  
two from beating each other to a pulp until she finally had to whack each  
of them on the head with her History book. While they were recovering,  
she turned to us.  
  
"You guys want to stay too?" she asked. I shook my head. "I'd like to,  
but I need to get going. I'll see you tomorrow," I answered. Kenshin too  
shook his head. "I've got to go too. Sorry," he said. Megumi nodded  
understandingly. "Well then, I'll see you guys later," she said waving.  
We waved back and started walking. As we were walking, Kenshin spoke.  
  
"Is it okay if I walk you home?" he asked. I looked at him. "It's okay  
you have to, I always walk-"  
  
"No really it's no problem," he interrupted shaking his head. "I want  
to." I slowly nodded. "Alright, if you want to." There was an awkward  
silence between us for a moment before Kenshin spoke again.  
  
"Did you study for the big exam tomorrow?" He asked looking straight  
ahead. I started to twiddle my fingers. "Yeah, think we're ready?"  
  
"I'm ready," he answered. I decided to ask him a question I was nervous  
about. "Do you remember about the class party tomorrow?" I asked. "Yes,"  
he replied.  
  
"Are you planning to go with a date?" I asked. I felt myself blushing  
slightly when I asked this question. "I want to," he answered. Here came  
the hard part.  
  
"Who did you have in mind?" I asked. Kenshin stopped causing me to stop  
as well. There was a moment of silence before he turned to me smiling and  
blushing at the same time. "You," he said blushing. That caught me  
totally off guard. I didn't know what to say or how to react. "M-Me?" I  
stuttered half surprised and half embarrassed. "You want to go with me?"  
His blush deepened. "Y-Yeah, that is, if you want to," he said looking  
down at the ground rather then at my face. I blushed and smiled at him,  
regardless of whether he could see me or not. "I understand if you don't,  
you deserve better than me anyway," he stated almost sure that I won't  
decline. I don't why he said that. That was stupid, to think I deserve  
better, that was just plain pathetic. If anyone deserved better, it was  
him.  
  
"I'd love to," I told him. His head jerked up. "R-Really?!" he asked  
excitedly. I nodded at him. We had reached my house, almost passing it.  
When I was getting ready to head inside, he waved at me. "I guess it's  
settled then, I'll see you tomorrow," he said happily and walked off. I  
waved back. **I can't believe he.actually asked me to the party.** I  
thought. I didn't realize I was still blushing when I entered my house.  
It wasn't as big as Megumi's. It was just a plain, ordinary place.  
  
"Kaoru, what happened to you?" mother asked. You look like someone swept  
you off your feet." I smiled. "Someone did." My mother's eyes widened.  
  
"Really?!" I nodded. "Kenshin asked me to be his date at the party  
tomorrow night," I said simply but happily. My mother gasped. "I'm so  
happy for you Kaoru; I knew how much you liked him and how afraid you  
were that he wouldn't like you back. But this proves that he does!" she  
cried. "Stop it mother you're embarrassing me, and besides, you can't be  
so sure. Just because he asked me to go with him doesn't necessarily mean  
he likes me the way I like him," I told her.  
  
"Doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't like you either, you can't keep  
lying to yourself you know, I mean come on, he asked you to be his date.  
He's asking you out! Doesn't that mean he likes you?" mother reassured  
me. I smiled at her in response. 'Well, I don't know...' I thought. Then  
my brother came out of the kitchen. Good things don't last very long at  
my house, and this is why. My brother, who was in 6th grade.  
  
"You can't be serious, how can anyone go out with you?!" he scoffed. I  
shot him a death glare, like my friends do when they're angry with me.  
  
"Stay out of this Kenji!" I retorted pointing a finger in his face. He  
glared at me and bit my finger as hard as he could. "OW OW OW OW OW OW  
OW!!! Stop it!!!!!" I yelled pulling my finger away. He had bitten so  
hard I was bleeding. He did let go thank goodness.  
  
"Kenji what were you thinking, Kaoru could be infected by your bite!!!"  
she scolded. Kenji hung his head. "I sorry, I didn't mean to bite you  
that hard," he apologized. "Just don't bite me at all," was all I could  
say. My finger stung like crazy. Kenji just sighed and went back into the  
kitchen. Mom and I followed soon after.  
  
"OUCH OKAY THAT'S ENOUGH!!!!" I screeched blowing on my finger. Geez and  
I thought my brother biting me hurt. Mother sighed and screwed the cap  
back on the jar and put it in the medicine cabinet. "It will help keep  
the wound safe against infection, so just try to deal with it. It will  
hurt for a while." I rubbed my finger. "I can see that, any more alcohol  
and it'd probably hurt for the rest of my life," I grumbled. **Kenji had  
better not do that again!**  
  
"Are you hungry Kaoru? Supper's just about ready," she said. I shook my  
head. "I'm not hungry thank you, I'll be in my room," I said heading down  
to the end of the empty hallway where my bedroom was located. When I got  
there, I changed into my pajamas and sat on my bed and took out the book  
I had been reading called When Purple Settles. I was almost done with it.  
I thought about whether I should go on or read it later. But I was soon  
engulfed in my thoughts. I thought about what it would be like being  
Kenshin's partner at the party. This would be the first time I'd be going  
to a party with someone especially someone I liked. ...Actually, that  
never was the truth. I've always loved Kenshin, but I never had the urge  
to tell him. I didn't think he even likes me much less loves me. I  
remembered the day we first met. He was an exchange student who was being  
picked on and bullied a lot during recess. I remembered the one time he  
was being bullied really bad and when he was about to be punched by one  
of our worst bullies, I lunged in front of him and took that blast full  
in the stomach. He helped me get to the office and we've been close  
friends ever since. Right now, he has been pretty popular with girls and  
he has a ton of friends, but we were always there for each other  
regardless. I remembered all the things we did together, the good times  
we've had in each other's company, partnering up in class projects and  
field trips, encouraging each other during performances, even that huge  
ketchup fight we had last year at my birthday. He was the only one left  
at the party and we just got a little rowdy and started squirting each  
other with ketchup bottles. I laughed as I remembered how we were covered  
from head to toe with that slimy red stuff and how surprised my mom was  
when she came into the kitchen. We had a lot of good times together and  
we always comforted and supported each other in the bad times. I didn't  
want that to be broken and I was afraid that was exactly what would  
happen if I was to tell him how I felt and he didn't feel the same way.  
That would kill me on the inside. Then I remembered. I remembered his  
words. "That which does not kill you makes you stronger." Was this it?  
Was this what he was referring to when he uttered those words? Could he  
have possibly known my feelings all along? I spent so much time thinking  
about these things that I didn't realize that it was so late and before I  
knew it, I fell fast asleep.  
  
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHH, I'M GOING TO BE LAAAAAATE!!!!!!!" I screeched as I looked  
at the time and leaped out of bed. Mother heard my screams and appeared  
in my doorway. "How did that happen, you always woke up on time before,"  
she told me shaking her head. "I forgot to set the alarm," I whined  
yanking off my pajamas and throwing on my uniform. Kenji appeared in the  
doorway too and shook his head. I felt like getting him back for biting  
me. My finger still stung.  
  
"Man, aren't you messy,'' he teased as he took in the sight of me running  
like crazy about my room. I didn't bother listening to my brother's  
ravings. "I don't have time for this Kenji!" I screamed and rushed past  
them, down the hallway, through the living room and out the door. I had  
only 10 minutes until school started and for me, that wasn't much time  
considering that I had to walk two blocks to get to school and I had a  
heavy backpack which slowed me down more. Because of this, I ended up  
being 5 minutes late. And I got scolded big time by the teacher. Thank  
goodness Kenshin wasn't in my class. That would've been utterly  
humiliating.  
  
Once the bell that signaled break time, and our exam had been taken,  
Megumi, Sano, Yahiko, and I went to our lockers to get ready for the next  
class. "What happened this morning, you've never been late before."  
Megumi said once we got our supplies together and found a table to sit at  
on the patio. I sat down and slumped my shoulders. "I forgot to set the  
alarm; I went to bed late so I didn't get enough sleep either. Plus my  
brother bit me so hard it bled and it still hurts," I murmured holding  
out my finger, which was still a light red.  
  
"Ouch," Sano said looking at my finger ringed with tooth marks. "Looks  
like you've had it rough," Yahiko said shaking his head. "You can say  
that again," I sighed folding my arms and resting my head on them.  
Kenshin stopped by moments later.  
  
"Hey guys," he greeted us in his usual, cheerful tone. Everyone,  
including me waved and motioned for him to sit with us. As could have  
been expected, he sat close to me, right beside me to be exact. It was  
then that he noticed that I didn't look too cheerful.  
  
"Hey, do you know what's wrong with Kaoru? She doesn't look good," he  
said putting a gentle hand on my shoulder. That perked me up a bit.  
  
"She's okay, just tired. She had it rough today," Megumi explained.  
Kenshin patted my back lightly. "Her brother bit her too," Sanosuke added  
taking my hand and showing Kenshin my finger.  
  
"Ouch, I see," he said touching the bite marks. I cringed a little from  
the pain. "Oh I'm sorry, do you think you'll still be able to go to the  
party with me? I'll understand if you can't." I jerked up. "Oh yeah, I'll  
still be able to, there's no way I'd want to miss it." He gave me the  
most adorable smile. The bell rang signaling that it was time for the  
next class. Kenshin got up.  
  
"Well, I'll see you tonight then," he said and walked off to class. I  
nodded. When I turned around, I saw Megumi and the others gaping at me.  
"Uh, is there something on my face?' I asked. Megumi came over and  
slapped me hard on the back. "Hey wha-!" I began.  
  
"How come you didn't tell me that he asked you to go out with him?!" she  
interrupted. I sort of looked at her, bewildered.  
"W-Was it that big of a deal?" I asked. Sano whacked me over the head  
with a loud "conk." "Hey!"  
  
"No duh!!!" he yelled shaking his head. "What are we going to do with  
you?!"  
  
"Let's all meet after school at Kaoru's house, we've got work to do!"  
Megumi claimed. "Right!" Sano and Yahiko agreed. "Actually, we'll just  
wait for you guys."  
  
"Fine," Megumi answered. I shrugged. 'Great. Something tells me this is  
going to be a disaster.' But it was worse than that. Way worse than that.  
  
Back at my house, it was like a nightmare for me only real.  
  
"Hold still," Megumi ordered.  
  
"But it hurts!" I complained.  
  
"No one said beauty was easy, don't you want to look good for Kenshin  
tonight?!"  
  
"Well, yes."  
  
"Then be quiet and hold still!"  
  
"But it'll hurt!"  
  
"I've almost got it, it won't hurt!"  
  
"OW OW OW OW OW OW!!!!!"  
  
"Hold on, just a little tighter." *Rrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiip!*  
  
"Megumi, that was one of my favorite ribbons!!!"  
"  
It wouldn't have happened if you would stop squirming!"  
  
"You were pulling it too hard!"  
  
"No I wasn't!"  
  
"Yes you were!!"  
  
20 minutes later. "Quit running around like a crazed cow!!!"  
  
"Then get those tweezers away from me!!!!!!"  
  
"It's just a few stray hairs, it won't hurt that bad!"  
  
"OW OW, HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! IF YOU DON"T MIND, I LIKE WHERE MY HAIR  
IS NOW THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!"  
  
"No, it's just that you're moving too much!"  
  
"YOU WOULD TOO IF SOMEONE WAS YANKING YOUR HAIR OUT NON STOP!!!!"  
  
"Hold on, I still need to finish fixing your hair!!!"  
  
"NOT IF IT MEANS YOU'RE PLANNING TO CUT IT!!!!!"  
  
"Oh come on, it's not like I'll cut it that short, just a few inches now  
get over here!!!"  
  
"NO CHANCE!!!!!"  
  
"Now!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"  
  
"I thought you said you wanted to look good for Kenshin!!!"  
  
"I DO, BUT YOU'RE MAKING ME LOOK THE OPPOSITE!!!!  
  
"No I'm not I'm just trying to help!!!!"  
  
"I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP!!!!!"  
  
"I'm telling you, it's not going to hurt like that at all!!!!!  
  
"STOP IT, I SAID NO!!!!!"  
  
"At least let me put this clip in your hair that most definitely won't  
hurt!"  
  
"OUCH, STOP IT!!!!!!"  
  
"How the heck can that hurt?!?!?!"  
  
"BECAUSE THAT ISN'T MY HAIR YOU'VE GOT, THAT'S MY HEAD!!!!!!!!" You could  
hear a series of loud noises if you were sitting next to my room. Come to  
think of it, that was where Sano and Yahiko were!  
  
"Sheesh, what is going on in there?!" Yahiko asked getting rather  
impatient. "They've been in there for over half an hour! And what's with  
all the racket?!" Sano was sitting on the floor apparently bored. "How am  
I supposed to know?!" he retorted. "We'll just have to keep waiting."  
Yahiko groaned "I don't wanna wait any longer!!! Why aren't they out  
already we've been waiting for a long time!!!" Sano heard Yahiko bicker  
and bicker and bicker. In fact, that's all he normally does, mouth off.  
**That kid must know every word in the English dictionary except for two  
words** he thought frowning. **Shut up.** After another 20 minutes, I  
came out of my room dragging a terrified Megumi behind me. I spent more  
time trying to stop her from turning me into a hideous monster rather  
than getting myself ready. Sano got up and stared.  
  
"What happened?!" he asked staring at my room, then at us. "What were you  
guys doing in there, I mean, you guys look fine but what happened to your  
room?!" My room was a total disaster. It looked as if it had been overrun  
by 13 rhinos. I shrugged. "It's a long story, let's just go, I don't want  
to be late." Yahiko added something he shouldn't have. "Long story huh?  
From all that racket it sounded like you two were getting something on,"  
he teased. That flared both me and Megumi up. "THAT WASN'T NECESSARY YOU  
SICK-HEADED PERVERT!!!" we yelled. That shut him up. To think Tsubame was  
in love with this nutbar. There was a difference between annoying and  
bipolar. We were quiet the whole trip there. It's a good thing too  
because I wasn't in the nicest mood. However, once we got there we  
cheered up, even Megumi.  
  
"Finally!" Yahiko sighed running past the nicely decorated school and  
into the noisy cafeteria. That was where the party itself was being held.  
Once we got in, Sano immediately left. Megumi and I headed into the  
crowd. But I knew she wasn't about to stick around either. "Go," she  
said. Kenshin is probably looking for you." Before I left I grabbed her  
by the arm.  
  
"You had better help me clean up my room sometime soon or else!" I  
warned. Megumi gulped. "Yeah fine, now go look for him." I shrugged again  
and left. My room was left a horrible mess when we left.  
  
It wasn't going to be too hard to find him since this place wasn't that  
crowded but it was crowded enough to the point that it wouldn't be too  
easy either. After being pushed and shoved a score of times, I finally  
found him near the exit leaning against the wall. "Hey Kenshin, over  
here!" I called out to him. He smiled when he saw me and came weaving  
through the crowd.  
  
"Sorry for keeping you," I apologized. He shook his head and gave me that  
silly smile of his. I thought that was the cutest thing. "Don't worry  
about it, you look great," he complimented. I blushed at his statement. I  
had to admit, he looked really.well.okay I admit it, he looked really  
cute. There, happy? He was wearing a navy blue suit with a read tie and  
his ponytail was up instead of hanging down, the way he usually wore it.  
I was wearing a sky blue dress with cherry blossoms on it and my hair was  
tied back with a dark indigo ribbon.  
  
"You don't look too bad yourself," I replied. "So, what do you want to do  
first?" he paused. "I don't know." In the end, we didn't know what to do  
really, so we just sat down at a table chatting, oblivious to Megumi and  
two other girlfriends which were Tsubame and Misao who were spying on us  
from a table not too far from the one we were sitting at. That is, until  
one of them snapped a picture of us. Apparently, they had forgotten to  
turn off the flash, which obviously caught our attention having blinded  
us. I was telling him about how Megumi was trying to make me look nice  
for the party and she ended up making me look like a monster, which he  
found hilarious. It was just as he was about to laugh that the blinding  
camera light burst in our eyes. We got up from the table and ran about  
the place till we thought they lost us, but we soon saw they were still  
behind us trying to hide in the crowd, so we decided to ignore them.  
After that, we just wandered around, seeing what our friends were up to.  
Yahiko was over where the food was being served at one of the tables,  
busily stuffing himself to the point of exploding, Megumi and the girls  
were following us, unaware that we knew what they were doing, and after a  
while, they gave up and went to where people were dancing, and Sanosuke  
was about his usual routine he followed at parties, which was flirting  
with as many girls as he could. I felt kind of sorry for him since he  
never picked up very many. And after that, we all got together and danced  
for a bit. I figured Kenshin didn't dance very much because he kept  
stepping on my foot, not that it really bothered me. He started getting  
the hang of it but he stepped on my foot again and this time he faltered  
and fell. I tried to help him by extending my hand to him, which he  
accepted. But instead of me pulling him up, he pulled me down, both of us  
crashing to the hard floor. Other than that little misfortune, tonight  
was fun. After dancing for half an hour, I left the party to get some  
fresh air. It was fun dancing and hanging out with everyone, but it was  
tiring too and I needed a break. Kenshin had followed me out and we were  
now just standing side by side on the patio, staring at the dark blue  
sky, dotted with bright yellow stars and a creamy white moon that was  
half full. **Man.** I thought. **This has to be the most slow-paced  
relationship in history!** I sighed and looked at him.  
  
"It's nice out isn't it?" I said looking back towards the sky. Kenshin  
nodded and looked at me, causing me to draw my gaze back to him. "Yeah,  
it is." I squeezed my hands together uneasily. We were alone and I wanted  
so badly to tell him my feelings right that moment but couldn't seem to  
say a word. I was still afraid that he would turn me down and I would be  
rejected. I really didn't think I would be able to handle it, and that I  
would slowly be eaten away on the inside by regret and pain. But I  
suddenly remembered what he told me, what I had been thinking about that  
night I had forgotten to set my alarm clock. I remembered those words as  
if I had just heard them. "That which does not kill you makes you  
stronger." I had to tell him, no matter how scared I was. I knew another  
chance like this wouldn't be easy to come by. At that, I spoke.  
  
"Uh, Kenshin, I um, have something I want to tell you." He turned around,  
locking my sea blue eyes with his amethyst ones. "Yes?" he answered  
giving me that smile he always did. I thought I would faint. **Okay,  
don't melt Kamiya, don't melt.** I kept telling myself as I prepared to  
speak once more.  
  
"I.I.I just wanted to tell you that I.uh, that I-" I was blushing bad and  
sweating now.  
  
"I love you too Kaoru," he interrupted teasingly, saving me from saying  
those words and gently encircling me in a warm embrace. "Kenshin!" I  
screamed, shocked, surprised, and embarrassed. And yet, I felt slightly  
relieved. "Sorry, I couldn't help it," he explained pulling me closer. I  
didn't move or resist. Actually, I was too surprised to do anything.  
  
"Did you know about my feelings all along?" I asked curiously. He rested  
his head on mine. "No, not until now, when we spent this night together.  
I too was afraid that I would be rejected if I told you how I felt, but  
that look on your face when you were trying to tell me how you felt said  
it all. If it weren't for you being brave enough to do so, I probably  
would've never told you myself," he told me. I felt my legs wobble.  
**Don't faint, don't faint, don't faint, don't faint, don't faint!** I  
stopped my self by laughing softly.  
  
"I really was going to say it you know."  
  
"Then say it Kaoru," he replied. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out,  
nothing. Somehow, I couldn't say those words. Now he was the one  
laughing. "Thought so," he giggled. I started laughing again.  
  
"You're so bad," I laughed, pulling away. He grinned mischievously. "Oh  
yeah, I'll show you bad." And with that, he pulled me back and started  
tickling me. "Ahhhhhh!!!" I shrieked, laughing and trying to escape. But  
Kenshin was pretty strong and trying break his hold wasn't going to be  
easy. As hard as I tried to fight him off, he kept it up, our laughter  
filling the air. I wasn't sure how long I could take this before I  
suffocated. This caught Megumi's attention and she was well on her way to  
see what was going on.  
  
"Come on Kenshin, stop it!!! I get the message already!!!" I shrieked  
again, freeing one of my arms and trying to pull away again. But Kenshin  
caught on to that fast. "I don't think so Kaoru," he said, grabbing me by  
my waist and hugging me to him again. We were both a bit exhausted from  
laughing so hard. This time, I obliged by leaning against him.  
  
"Finally, I needed to breathe back there," I sighed, still breathing  
hard. Kenshin was breathing hard as well. "Breath while you can, before I  
start tickling you again," he snickered. I glared at him playfully.  
"Don't you dare." He smiled, tightening his hold letting his head rest on  
my shoulder. "Don't worry, I was just kidding." We stayed like that for a  
long time, until.  
  
"Oh my god, look at them!!!" With jerked up and looked to see Megumi  
covering her mouth and pointing at us and Yahiko and Sano whose mouths  
were wide open stared. Neither of us moved, I didn't pull away, and  
Kenshin never loosened his hold in me. We just stared at them.  
  
"So you guys decided to settle things alone did you?" Sano teased. We  
blushed. "You guys look so adorable! It's a shame that my camera is  
full," Megumi sighed. We blushed harder. "Gross, I can't look at this  
anymore," Yahiko said, heading back to the cafeteria. Kenshin went on  
blushing but I glared daggers at him. Then Megumi got a bright idea.  
Well, to her it was a bright idea but to us it was a really bad one.  
  
"Hey Sano, let's go back to the party and tell all our friends that  
Kenshin and Kaoru finally got together!" Sano nodded in approval and they  
were soon sprinting back to the party  
  
"What do you think we should do?" I asked. He just smiled and pulled me  
as close as he could to him and kissed me softly on the lips for what  
seemed like a long time leaving me red as a tomato. But it felt really  
good.  
  
"Let's just go along with it. After all, it's true isn't?" I grinned.  
"No." He looked at me in surprise and became confused as well as uneasy.  
"What, but didn't you just, didn't we." he stuttered. I started laughing.  
He stared at me bewildered.  
  
"What is so-"  
  
"I was just kidding!" I interrupted, still laughing. He sighed in relief  
and smiled at me.  
  
"Now look who's being bad," he said pulling away and laughing as well. We  
both did till our sides ached.  
  
"Still feel like joining the party?" I asked. Kenshin nodded. "Sounds  
good to me." I gave him a sly grin.  
  
"I'll race you to the cafeteria!" I exclaimed and bolted towards it. He  
laughed and sprinted after me.  
  
"You're on!"  
  
The End  
  
Ikutsu namida o nagashitara  
  
every heart  
  
Sunao ni nareru darou. Dare ni omoi tsutaetara  
  
every heart  
  
Kokoro mita saereru no darou.  
  
Nagai nagai yoru ni obieteita, tooi hoshi ni inotteta.  
Megeru megeru toki no naka de, bokutachi wa ai o sagashiteiru.  
Tsuyoku tsuyoku naritai kara, kyou mo takaisora miageteriru.  
  
Donna egao ni deatara  
  
every heart  
  
Yume wo fumidasereruyo. Hitowa kanashimi no mukou ni  
  
every heart  
  
shiawase ukabete nemuru.  
  
Itsuka itsuka subete no tamashii ga yasurakani  
Nareru youni. Megeru megeru toki no naka de boku tachi wa  
Ikite nanika wo shiru. Toki ni warai shugoshi niate. Kyou mo  
Mada aruki tsuzukete iku.  
  
Osanai kioku ni kata sumi ni. Atatakai basho ga aru soushi.  
Hoshi tachi ga hanasu mirai ga. Itsumo kagayaite ita.  
  
so shine  
  
Meguru meguru toki no naka de, bokitachi wa ai o sagasgiteiru.  
Tsuyoku tsuyoku naritai kara, kyou mo takaisora miageteiru.  
  
Meguru meguru toki no naka de, boku tachi wa ikete nanika  
wo shiru. Toki ni warai shugoshi naite. Kyou mo mada aruki  
tsuzukete iku.  
  
___________________________________________________________________________  
  
Thank you for reading! 


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